I recently got a new bunny which is about 15 weeks old now(so im told) and he is pretty much full grown.
I am TRYING to liter train him by putting him in the litter box when he looks as if he is about to go.
He decides to be lazy by leaving his little pelets everywhere and peeing where ever he wants including my bed(he hops up there on his own).
The only time he does use the litter box is when he is in my carpeted room to pee.
Being lazy in his cage is ok with me since there is a catch traybut its the mess on the floor Im worried about.
Any tips..I want to trust him not to make a mess while I am gone for 2 seconds but I cant.
Answers:
If you leave him in his pen with the litter box [have it filled with some of his food pellets] and keep him in there for a while. Let him out every often and test him, eventually he will learn that it is for pottying. It won't happen overnight, it will take a lot of patience and understanding.
By nature, rabbits choose one or a few places (usually corners) to deposit their urine and most of their pills. Urine-training involves little more than putting a litterbox where the rabbit chooses to go. Pill training requires only that you give them a place they know will not be invaded by others. Here are some suggestions to help you to train your rabbit to use the litterbox. Older rabbits are easier to train than younger rabbits, especially babies. A rabbit's attention span and knack for learning increases as they grow up. If you have a baby, stick with it! And if you are deciding whether to adopt an older rabbit, or litter train your older rabbit, go for it! Here are some tips on HOW to train your rabbit to use its litter box:
-Initially, keep rabbit confined to cage with a litter box.
-Observe to make sure your rabbit is using the box. If rabbit seems to prefer another area of cage, move litterbox there.
-Once your rabbit is using a box in the cage, let out of cage in a limited space, under close supervision. Place a second litter box outside of the cage in this space.
-Make the litter box enticing with a favorite toy or treat.
-If you notice the rabbit backing up with its tail up, gently herd him/her to litter box.
-Whenever your rabbit uses the litter box, make sure he/she gets lots of praise and possibly a favorite treat.
-Never punish a rabbit for mistakes. Gently steer to litter box if caught in the act, but this must be immediate to have any effect.
-Once your rabbit is using the box outside of the cage, gradually increase the space the rabbit can roam in.
Add more litter boxes as necessary as the rabbit probably won't go too far in search of a box.
-Be flexible about placement of boxes - if rabbit seems to prefer a particular place as a toilet, put a box there.
-If your rabbit wants to use an inconvenient location, place a box there and gradually move it out of the way.
-If your rabbit begins having accidents, backtrack to the confinement and limited space with supervision stage and begin again.
*Spaying and neutering will greatly reduce territorial urine spraying and defecation.
*Use a safe absorbent litter such as a recycled newspaper or citrus based litter. Clumping and clay litters are not desirable as the rabbit will likely lay in the litter and ingest some as well.
*Be patient and consistent, and expect a few accidents.
First you have to find a spot where he naturally goes. Put the litter box there. Stack a lot of hay on the litter box so that he wants to go in. Every time he pees or poops pick up the poo and put it in the litter box. When he pees, wipe it up with a paper towel and put it in.
Since he is only 15 weeks old, it will not be easy. With rabbits, the older they are, the easier they are to train. You might have to wait a bit before he can go in and have no accidents. If you don't get him neutered it will be almost impossible for him to not have "accidents" everywhere.
Start from a small room and then increase the space. Once again, if he is not neutered he will keep going where he pleases.
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